Cerberus Daily News - July 2013
For canon information, see the Mass Effect Wiki page for Cerberus Daily News. This page is for CDN members' non-canon additions. The following stories contributed by Cerberus Daily News forum members were published on the CDN newsfeed during June 2013. See the main Cerberus Daily News page for current updates. July 2013 – Week One 07/06/13 - Brainbug Omnitools Release to Less-Than-Stellar Sales Despite massive hype and excellent critical reviews, New Delhi Enterprises newest line of civilian omnitools (The Brainbug I-III) has released to less-than-stellar sales. Where industry specialists and New Delhi were predicting sales well above 2.3 billion in the opening weekend, the line has barely breached 1.6 billion a week after release. The cause of this disappointment is not yet agreed upon. Some economists are claiming that its near-three thousand credit price is to blame, while others are claiming a variety of other causes from the mundane to the truly unbelievable. Kravnan Thur, CEO of Messiah Omniplex, a rival to New Delhi Enterprises, has claimed divine intervention is the cause of the Brainbug's crippling sales figures in a rant that has already gone viral across the Nemean Abyss and Omega Nebula. Warlord Krotaq Endorses Varatyl Condom Line Despite Protests Despite vocal protest from members of his party and the opposition, as well as the Board of Reproductive Ethics in Clan Krotaq, Warlord Krotaq has gone forward today with his endorsement of the Varatyl line of luxury condoms. The politician and minor pop culture icon has, according to the manufacturer of the condoms (Dalami Comforts Incorporated), already filmed one commercial for the line and is preparing to film more in addition to endorsing them twice in public. The Varatyl line has been surrounded by controversy since its release, especially since it was made the industry standard in Palaven's porn industry. Dalami Comforts Incorporated stock is up .8% since the announcement, while Warlord Krotaq's popularity has risen by .1%, the slowest increase since he took office early in 2170. July 2013 – Week Two 07/08/13 - Missing Children Increasing, Sparks Worry By Terra South-East News Staff The increased amount of missing children may be more than just runaways, SATAE authorities say. Over the past six months, over forty children have been reported missing to local authorities in the South-Eastern United American Northern States, and an additional forty were listed as possible runaways. Amber alerts went out the days of the reports, but only some of the children have been found. The missing children aren't only human, but they are also children of those who came for relief efforts and reconstruction efforts. A full list of missing people by area can be found on the SATAE missing persons database here. Authorities give the following advice to keep your children safe: Know where your children are and who they're with. Pay attention to your children. For older children, don't let them travel alone, just in groups. Keep an eye out for suspicious persons and report them to authorities. Give your children a way to communicate with you, whether it be omni-tool or location pager. Remember, no prevention is something that works all the time. Our hearts go out to the families of the misssing children, and we hope they will be found soon. 07/12/13 - Bodies of Missing Children Found in San Francisco Bodies of seven missing children surfaced last night in a tragic twist on the spike of missing children cases that has afflicted earth. All seven bodies were asari. The bodies were found in and around the city of San Francisco throughout last night, arousing concerns of a massacre in progress until police identified the bodies as having been deceased for several days. Eyewitnesses report that the bodies were found with lacerations and missing limbs, and rumors of everything from Reaper Cultists to anti-asari extremists to radical isolationist sects have begun to circulate the extranet. SATAE peacekeepers claim that they are investigating all possible leads into the disappearances, and that they will not rest until the case is solved. They have refused to give further comment on the investigation, possible suspects or what they believe the motive behind the murders is. Pirating Gang Wiped by Justicar - Humans, Batarians Dead Pirating Gang Wiped by Justicar - Humans, Batarians Dead Tjanja Vesir, Thessian Observer Thessia - An asari-led gang of at least eighteen suspected pirates were executed by an unnamed Justicar in the remote Hamlani System in the Athena Nebula. After killing each of the gang members, the Justicar called in police officials from Thessia. Upon their arrival, they were presented with a dossier and a debriefing on the criminals and their doings. The gang of eleven asari, five humans and two batarians was operating what appears to be a major reloading point for pirated goods in the Athena Nebula. Weapons, medication, construction equipment and large quantities of refined raw materials were stockpiled in several subterranean structures. Three armed spacecraft were also discovered on site Speaker Funira D’Undiis said: “We identified a number of items that can clearly be attributed to incidents over the last year. Here was the place where everything got repacked and whitewashed to be shipped outside the cluster. Having seized this infrastructure is a great achievement. We express our thanks to the Justicar.” There even seem to be indications that the gang was involved in the Eezo pirating a year ago, D’Undiis said. Asked about the fact that non-asari were among the dead, Thessia officials pointed out that Justicars are mainly targeting asari inside asari space, but won’t make differences if they encounter non-asari in their way supporting or defending their target. A human diplomat on Thessia called the event an example of local law enforcement. Church of Shepardology Investigated for Tax Fraud ''By Shan Jorr, courtesy Volus Financial News, Inc. -'' Get your hands off your credit chits, true believers. It appears that the Church of Shepardology isn't a 'religion unlike all others' as its leaders claim, and is, in fact, very much like most other religions in the universe after all. How do we know this? Because according to a recent C-SEC investigation, the Church of Shepardology is engaging in that time-honored church-based practice of tax fraud. That's right, the same church that asks its parishioners to give freely of themselves and "think of life before materialism, as Shepard did," was found siphoning credits from their worshiper's monthly tithe and then beaming the account information to an off-planet data fortress on Kahje. According to official C-SEC documents, C-SEC raided the Citadel-based Church of Shepardology five hours ago after "reunification services" were over, and then forcibly confiscated the church's financial files and transaction processors. While C-SEC is remaining remarkably tight-lipped and closed-mandibled about what they found inside the church itself, C-SEC's forensic finances expert, Detective Marrik Vertinex, told VFN that this was definitely one of the most "audacious" crimes he's seen in his career. "It's not the crime itself that bothers me, it's that they were hiding it so poorly," Vertinex told me during an interview. "I mean, look at these figures. They don't even attempt to create a misleading trail of investments, or hide the credit transfers in legal jargon. As soon as the credits hit their account, this program automatically halved their donations and beamed half of it to this account on Kahje. I'm still haven't decided if it's outright arrogance or simple idiocy." Either way, the church's founder and main spokesperson, Matriarch Arriana Mariia, has been out of touch since the news broke. Supposedly on a "vision quest" in her vast, sealed, and undeniably expensive underwater mansion on Kahje, the only information Mariia shared was that "these charges are clearly false," and that "the truth will be revealed to those who are worthy to see it." "I do not need to explain what the Church's needs are," she stated in a holographic press release mere hours ago. "I alone have seen the vision of Shepard as She was meant to be, and I alone contact her. If you do not trust me in this, and continue to donate to the cause - as all true followers will do - you risk unseating the shard of Shepard in yourselves. To all nonbelievers and heretics like C-SEC, I advise you step away from this matter or risk not only your soul, but your own finances as well. I have spoken." In other news, Vectortech Inc. and Dyzan EEG - both companies that Mariia has a vested interest in - dropped an amazing 15.6 points in the Intergalactic Markets today, bring share prices to a measly 7.89 credits each. This is the lowest these companies' shares have been in two years, and prompted a massive selling frenzy before market close. It'll be interesting to see how Mariia manages to recover from this loss, but I predict there'll be a lot more proselytizing Shepardologists on the Citadel within the next few weeks. Terrorists Kill Camalan Upper Grusto Leader Confederate Weekly News Network, Beele Karaanik This last week, the Camalan city of Laveki was gripped with fear in the wake of a high-profile raid believed to have been launched by the terrorist organization identifying itself as the Bahak Brigade. The terrorists stormed the estate grounds of Camalan Grusto leader Karak Maxia at 16:01 local time, and launched an assault that ultimately ended in the death of the crime lord. Local residents reported hearing automatic gunfire and explosions from the direction of Mr. Maxia’s estate grounds as early into the attack as 16:04 local time. Cameras inside the mansion have confirmed that many of the weapons used by the attackers were firearms commonly associated with Terminus-based mercenary companies, such as Vindicator battle rifles. At least one AT-12 Raider combat shotgun, a weapon commonly associated with the fallen Batarian Hegemony’s Special Intervention Unit, was used against the mansion’s guards in the shootout. An account from a mercenary guard who survived the shootout with the mansion’s attackers and wished to remain anonymous confirmed every intruder he fought was a batarian. “I’ve seen these tactics before”, he said. “These guys were SIU. I recognized their actions as the same kind of moves I’d been pulling all throughout the firefight. Predictable, but different in some ways. They fought like wild animals, totally psychotic. Angry.” None of the attackers were killed in the firefight, and twenty of Maxia’s guards were slain trying to repel them. Nine civilian employees of Mr. Maxia were caught in the crossfire and killed as well. Recovered camera feeds and eyewitness accounts have altogether given a rough estimate of a dozen attackers storming the estate. Eight minutes into the attack, Mr. Maxia was confirmed to have been woken up by the shooting and trying to make an escape attempt via aircar, but his vehicle was shot down by a heavy weapon that was positively identified as a Systems Alliance-issue Cobra missile launcher, commonly issued to units assisting as part of N7 Special Ops during the Reaper conflict. This event marks the single highest-profile attack by the Bahak Brigade to date since the organization’s establishment following the Reaper War. The raid was confirmed to have lasted no more than eighteen minutes, including the intruders’ fighting retreat and subsequent disappearance. It is believed the attackers had been making use of tactical cloaking technology installed in their hardsuits all throughout the raid. Inquiries have been made to Confederate officials regarding any possible impact this attack may have on Confederate Council rulings in the future. Confederate officials have thus far refused to comment. All Lower Grusto and Upper Grusto cartels have openly denied involvement with the attack, and a video claiming that the Bahak Brigade was responsible was posted on GalaxyTube within two days of the assault on Mr. Maxia’s compound, decrying the Camalan Grusto for their abandonment of the traditional batarian caste system in favor of profit, and declaring that attacks would continue until the re-establishment of the old Hegemony. Representatives of the Maxia Cartel’s leadership could not be reached for comment. July 2013 – Week Five 07/29/13 - Rannoch Temple of Dia’Tanul reopened after restoration The ancient temple on Rannoch has now been partially opened to the public again after extensive restoration. Known for its large scale mosaic displays of ancient quarian mythology, the temple is not only a center for re established rituals and cultural events but also an important document of the quarian cultural heritage. “We reopened the large chamber and the northern wing” archaeologist Prof. Zef’Kurun vas Rannoch told us. “We have sealed the mosaics on the floor and the walls with a protective and air-conditioned transparent plating, so future use of these rooms can’t harm them. It is like a transparent envirosuit for the building. This way, you can walk through the tales of our ancestors without doing any damage.” Among the first visitors was a school class with their history teacher. “I love the colorful clothing of the people and all the weird monsters! But the faces are strange!” “It’s cool to see all those people not wearing a suit; I also want to walk around without any suit!” some of the kids said. Others called for a more restricted approach. A small group was outspoken against the public display of the ancient mosaics: “While it is important that our children learn about our ancestors and history, especially since so much of it has been lost. We should consider the ramifications of showing them so many bare faces.” Reconstruction in the southern wings and the adjoining facilities are continuing and further reopenings are expected gradually. 07/31/13 - Exploration ship attacked in unexplored system! PSF Onteros of the Citadel Exploration Fleet reports that they've come under fire by unknown vessels of frigate size in the Exodus Cluster while exploring system 41676345+8464134 on the Habitable World Candidate catalogue. PFS Onteros is a turian cruiser of the Axios class, one of the ships the Hierarchy refitted for long-range exploration as part of CEF initiative. The ship is now returning to Palaven via Sol system for repairs. Citadel Exploration Fleet has requested help from the Systems Alliance Navy in form of a patrol flotilla to deal with the threat. Month Long Alliance/Asari Maneuvers Begin Mag Hal – Tayseri Times The asari 5th fleet under the command of Matriach Galvira arrived in the Strenuus system for a month long combined maneuver with the Systems Alliance 8th fleet, commanded by Admiral Lydia van Dyke. Civilian traffic in a wider area is prohibited while the fleets exercise. The asari bring two dreadnoughts, the newly refurbished “With United Forces”, which had suffered extensive damage during the War and the 5th fleet’s flagship, “Justicar Veri”. The Alliance fields the dreadnought “Tai Shan“, which will see live fire exercise for the first time since its recommission, and the carrier “Einstein”. “United Forces” has also become the adopted name for the exercise that will be observed by representatives of the Turian Hierarchy and the Salarian Union on behalf of their governments and the Council. In a combined statement, Councilors Osoba and Irissa called the maneuvers “a display of friendship and cooperation between humanity and asari. The Council stands ready and side by side to oppose anyone who threatens peace. The exercise will improve coordination between our militaries and generate valuable shared experiences on command level and for the individuals involved.” The forces will exercise a wide variety of scenarios. Highlight will be a combined massed space drop of Alliance Marines and commandos, following orbital bombardment on a planetoid in Strenuus. Category:Cerberus Daily News Articles